Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 120 - 117: The Symbolic Realm’s Great Extinction

For every spear, there is a shield; since Mages have means of attack, they naturally have methods of protection. However, based on the research from Kano’s team, Transmuting Dust could penetrate most Defense Magic. The design philosophy for the Magic Array on the Crystal Shield was to first agitate the Transmuting Dust, then erupt Ether to counteract the released Divine Power and Ether.

It takes Magic to defeat Magic, and Divine Power to defeat Divine Power. The only thing Rorschach could rely on was the Divine Art bestowed by the Forest Maiden.

The book in Rorschach’s hands was made from specially treated inner tree bark, cut, bound, and covered in leather. This Elven book on Totemism was written entirely in the Jabber Language. In addition to a multitude of patterns and their corresponding symbols, it contained hymns divided by season, praising nature and their Divine Spirits.

After some comparison, Rorschach found several elements similar to those in Deryats’s pattern.

"Divine Law and Performance," "Creation," "Vitality and Growth," and "Guardian." Then there was the symbol that represented "Nature, Sanctity, and Immortality" to the Elves. Nested with this symbol was an entire Spirit Talisman, which was a symbolic Rune that could point toward a great being. In terms of structural complexity, the only thing comparable was the Holy Emblem of Silvanos.

’It seems the corresponding symbol points to Deryats.’

There were still many uncertain circuits and structures that Rorschach didn’t know how to modify. He decided to first copy some elements individually and try combining them.

His method of combination was crude. First, he drew the simplest Magic Circle on a Metal Plate, then constructed an Energy Transfer Circuit on the outer ring, connecting it to the totem. Alchemy Ink didn’t seep into the Metal Plate, so Rorschach had mixed in bone glue beforehand to ensure the ink wouldn’t spread across the surface.

When the "Divine Law and Performance" totem was activated, the surrounding Ether trembled for a moment, but then there was no further reaction.

’This effect... seems to be ’Magic Power Drive.’ But what about after? That’s it?’

After some thought, Rorschach decided to stop using that element. He instead added geometric units to the outer ring to channel ambient Magic Power, replacing the Elven and divine runes, and then proceeded to test the remaining totems one by one.

The effect of "Creation" was bizarre; the Metal Plate corroded. Rorschach had no choice but to use [Decomposition Skill] to break down its surface and draw it anew. "Vitality" and "Guardian" had no effect. It wasn’t until the "Nature, Sanctity, and Immortality" totem lit up, producing a faint, emerald-green glow. It was fleeting, and after it vanished, only the faint scent of fresh grass and pine resin remained. Rorschach wasn’t even sure if the smell was a figment of his imagination.

’This is close to the aura of the Great Mages from the Tower of Forest.’

Finally, it was time for Deryats’s Holy Emblem. After drawing it, Rorschach silently prayed, ’Come on, Sis, do me a favor. For the sake of me pulling your venerable self up from a Sub-plane.’ After Rorschach inputted Ether, he felt a reaction from the construct, but it wasn’t strong enough. He increased the input, and finally, the familiar blue fireflies appeared, but they too vanished in an instant.

’Right, it needed a blood sacrifice...’ Rorschach thought for a moment, then pricked his fingertip and dripped his blood into the Alchemy Ink. He drew the pattern on the Metal Plate again. As expected, the blue fireflies now appeared continuously. As he fed it Ether, the Holy Emblem’s mark constantly converted it into the fireflies, which rose up and dissipated a short distance from the plate’s surface.

He then added the "Guardian" totem and activated it. The blue fluorescence lingered, coalescing on the surface of the Metal Plate. Rorschach summoned a small Fireball and struck the surface. Instantly, both the Fireball and the blue fluorescence shattered.

’Still not good enough. Right now, it’s like a tempered glass screen protector for a phone. The Blue Light Barrier is single-use and very fragile.’

Rorschach added the "Vitality" totem next. The barrier’s resilience improved somewhat, but it still wasn’t enough. The state he envisioned was one that could constantly regenerate, just like [Deryats Forest]. But wouldn’t that mean replicating the entire Magic? There had to be another alternative. Additionally, Rorschach discovered that the activation delay for this hybrid of modern Magic Array and totem was far longer than that of other Magic Arrays.

Rorschach activated the metal disc again, looking at the Blue Light Barrier. ’Have I just made a Holy Shield?’

The Tower Spirit reminded him that his time in the practice room was up.

Rorschach packed everything up and left. Back in his dorm, he recorded his findings... or lack thereof. It seemed there was no significant progress or breakthrough. A "single-use Holy Shield" was clearly not what he needed. In truth, this was normal. His previous research was more like drawing a target around an arrow that had already landed; today’s setbacks were the norm.

「The next afternoon, Rorschach went to see Kano.」

"Is this the result of your work yesterday?" Kano examined the metal disc, then tried to activate the Blue Light Barrier.

"This energy resisted the storm of Transmuting Dust back then, so I thought it might have some resistance to impure Divine Power."

"If it’s really effective, I can recommend you to Professor Poincaré. Honestly, your Magic Array design skills are atrocious." Kano put down the Metal Plate with a look of disgust—on it was drawn a monstrosity, a hybrid of a geometric Magic Array and an Elf Totem. It also completely ignored the activation sequence of the core units and the decay of Ether density in the circuits. The fact that it worked at all seemed to be mainly due to the symbolic Rune at its core.

What a miraculous Magic Array. Not only could it produce a Blue Light Barrier, it could also make Master Kano’s blood pressure spike.

However, the fact that the symbolic Rune could be activated piqued Kano’s interest. "Rorschach Mage, do you know what the Great Extinction of the Symbolic Realm is?"

Rorschach searched his memories of his academy education, but it seemed the term had never been mentioned. He could only shake his head honestly.

"Then you should know that since the Second Divine War and the fall of the Old Empire, many Casting rituals and Magic Arrays have become ineffective."

Rorschach knew about that. It was mentioned in Magic History, but the reasons weren’t explored in depth. The Star Realm teleportation that Kano was currently researching had also become ineffective after the end of the Old Empire Era, because the Main Plane and the Star Realm were cut off from each other by Transmuting Dust.

"In ancient times, there were numerous Magic Array systems. Many of them were related to the symbols of higher beings. By using a symbol to point to a certain higher being, one could obtain a portion of its power or invoke the authority it wielded. Some could even directly summon what mortals call Angels or Demons."

Such things were common in various myths and epics. They could be Divine Envoys, Demigods, or be seen as monsters, evil creatures, and Demons. But in Rorschach’s understanding, these beings had vanished from the current world, just like the Magical Beasts. Glimpses of them could only be found in the form of Divine Remains on Sub-planes.

Kano casually drew a figure. "Doesn’t our Valuva have the Saint Miller Cathedral? ’Miller’ wasn’t a Saint, but the name of a Great Angel under the Light God." He wrote out "Miller" using the letters of the ancient Jabber Language, then distorted and overlapped them, transforming them into a symbol made of lines.

"What I’ve just drawn is his symbolic sigil. In theory, you could pray to it, channel his power, fill a ’Magic Circle’ with it, and construct a primitive Magic Array with this symbol as the core.

"A Caster could use this power to protect themselves or launch an attack of a holy nature. As long as the Caster isn’t corrupt or a person who disrupts order, there’s a chance they could receive Saint Miller’s Blessing. They don’t necessarily have to be a Priest or a Divine Benefactor."

"In theory?" Rorschach knew that "in theory" usually meant "no," while "not in principle" often meant "yes."

"Correct. In theory, it was possible before the Silent Age. The targets were rich and varied, and the Magic Array systems were also diverse, centered around different higher beings.

"Then, BOOM. They all stopped working. At the same time, all traces of these higher beings in the Symbolic Realm vanished. Combined with the silence of the gods, some scholars believe that most of the high-level beings have passed away, and they call this phenomenon the ’Great Extinction of the Symbolic Realm’.

"It doesn’t just represent the disappearance of those higher beings, but also the total collapse of the systems of totems, Runes, and Magic Arrays built around their symbols. That makes the Rune you have in your hand exceptionally precious."

’This is a symbol that responds. Perhaps even the Holy Emblem of the God of Light and Order can’t be directly activated like this anymore.’

In the end, Kano deferred the problem of improving the Magic Array to a colleague. "The array system we use now is the geometric symbolic system created by Great Sage Euclid, where all constituent units point directly to the Four Elements and Basic Spells.

"I’ll contact Professor Poincaré tomorrow. He’s the expert in this area; compared to him, I’m just a dabbler. If he has time to help, the Tower Spirit will notify you to go see him."

Rorschach was a little surprised. "I never expected you to have such a humble side."

"Frankly, I’m already being arrogant by saying that. But my focus isn’t on pure theory anymore."